Method of conditioning fabric articles



June 9, 1936. F. J. COUCH METHOD OF coumnoume FABRIC ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 12, 1935 t (Wkh INVENTOR FORRESTU'. COUCH BY /5' r #14 #j yffif u 7/ A %'O NEY5 7 June 9, 1936.

F. J. COUCH METHOD OF CONDITIONING FABRIC ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12, 1933 INVENTQR FORREST 1r. coucn ATTORNEY5 F. J. COUCH 2,043,466

June 9, 1936.

METHOD OF CONDITIONING FABRIC ARTICLES 3 Sheeis-Sheet :5

Filed June 12, 1933 Patented June 9, 1936 TE T orrlcs METHOD OF CONDITIONING FABRIC ARTICLES Forrest J. Conch, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 12, 1933, Serial No. 675,417

4 Claims.

This invention relates to amethod for conditioning laundered clothes and the like prepara- (cry to their introduction into an ironing machine; In the regular laundering process, the

shake out the folds in the goods by passing them through a tumbling drum while at the same time equalizing the moisture content throughout the goods, particularly, to increase the moisture con-' tent where the goods were previously creased or wrinkled.

Another object of this invention is to raise the temperature of the goods passing through the tumbling drum, if desired. v I

, Further objects include the increasing of the moisture content of the goods while passing through the conditioning apparatus, if necessary, and the addition of freshening gases to the atmosphere surrounding the goods in the tumbling drum, if desired.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description considered in connec tion with the drawings, and the essential features of which are summarized in the claims.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view: Fig. .2 is an end view of the inlet end, partly, broken away; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; girlie Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of The method is carried out by arranging a closed system for circulating a current of air through the goods while they are being shaken out preparatory to ironing, and recirculating the air continuously while retaining in the air current the moisture givenofl. by the goods. This circulating air current is the medium by which are goods, or freshening ingredients, when desired.

In general, the apparatus illustrated for practicing my improved method comprises a casing within which a tumbling drum ismounted for rotation. The laundry goods are introduced into one end of the and discharged at the other end. A current of air is passed through the drum and a duct is provided for returning the air to the entrance end of the drum for recirculation.

Sprays are provided for adding moisture or excess moisture is removed from the laundry,

realized the further objects of adding heat to the freshening ingredients to the contents of the drum, and a heating element is suitably placed to heat the air passing through the duct, if desired. A continuous stream of goods is thus passed through the drum and the wrinkles and 5 folds are shaken out, while the circulating air picks up excess moisture from the saturated portions of the goods and distributes it to the drier portions of the goods, for instance, the wrinkled parts. The clothes are then. delivered for ironingwiih a homogeneous moisture content.

The casing l0 and the drum l I are supported on a suitable framework, that shown comprising main frame members I! and i3 comprising semicircular shaped-channels with legs M at their lower ends, longitudinally extending bottom channel memb'ers l5, and transverse members it. The drum preferably slopes'downwardly toward the discharge end and adjustability is provided by threaded members ll passing through the 59 bottom channels.

lI'he drum is mounted for rotation within the casing, the support illustrated comprising lower rollers i8, rotatably mounted on the transverse frame members and upper -rollers I8, which are carried by the main frame members and springpressed downwardly to maintain contact between the drum and rollers iii. The drum may be provided on its outer periphery with circular flanged rings or channels in which the rollers i8 and u I! are adapted to travel. For preventing longitudinal movement of the drum, other rollers 2| may be mounted on the main frame members and arranged to contact the flanges of the circular channels 20.

Power means is provided for rotating the drum. v the embodiment comprising a motor 22 mounted on the main frame, a pulley 23 driven by the motor shaft, and a plurality of flexible endlessbelts 24, preferably V-shape in section, which pass about a suitably grooved band 25 on the drum. For taking up slack in the belts the motor may be adjustably mounted, as by pivoting one end of the motor base at 26 and securing the otherend of the base on a threaded member 21.

The drum is provided with means for lifting or agitating the goods passing therethrough, that shown comprising longitudinally extending shelves or blades .28 secured to the inner periph cry of the 'These blades may be provided with rounded enlargements 2! at their free? ends the better to lift the clothes without tearing them. The blades may be cut away at the outlet end of the drum, as shown at 3| in Fig. 1, to facilitate the discharge of the clothes 86 The inlet end of the drum may be braced by a plurality of spokes 3! which may be arranged extending radially inwardly from the blades and secured. together at their inner ends by a ring 32.

The clothes or other laundry goods may be continuously fed. to the drum at the inlet end, as by a conveyor 33 discharging into a suitable hopper'3 l, which is mounted on the casing I 0 and extends into the drum beyond thering 32.- A flexible curtain 35 is provided for closing the hopper openingagainst air circulation. For discharging the goods from the conditioning device, I have shown a conveyor 36 whose tail pulley 36' is rotatably mounted in brackets 31 carried by the longitudinal frame members I5. The conveypr enters and leaves the casing through suitable openings 38 and 39, which may be sealed against air passage by curtains 40 and 4|. The opening 39 is made sufficiently large to permit clothes to pass outside of the casing on the conveyor. An extension 42 may be provided on the casing wall to prevent goods falling too near the edge of the conveyor.

For the circulation of air I provide a duct 43 leading from oneend of the drum to the other. By placing this duct in the space beneath the drum I am able to construct a very compact device. Means is provided for circulating and recirculating air through the drum and duct. The means shown comprises a fan 44, driven by a motor 45, which is preferably arranged in an open-ended tube 54 extending transversely of the duct to protect the motor from the moist air. While theair current may travel in either direction, I prefer to have it pass through the drum from the goods inlet end to the outlet end as shown by arrows in Fig. l.

The duct is connected with the casing at the discharge end of the drumpreferably by means of a substantially circular duct 46 surrounding the outlet end of the drum, and open at its upper rear portion, as indicated at 41. This gives a better distribution of the air currents in the drum and places the suction inlet as far as possible from the clothes discharge opening in the casing. The duct leads from the lower portion of this circular duct 46 to the inlet end of the drum which it enters through a curved opening 53 in the lower part of the casing. The portions of the casing engaging the inlet and outlet ends of the drum are sealed by flexible strips 48, thus forming substantially air-tight compartments at those points. The air circulation thus provided is a closed system so that moisture or other ingredients may be retained until evenly distributed through the clothes.

For the addition of heat to the circulating air current, I have illustrated a steam radiator 49 in the duct 43.

Moisture may be added to the circulating air current and to the goods in the tumbling drum by means of the pipe 50 with its regulating valve 5!. By the use of a similar pipe or spray 52, gaseous freshening ingredients, such as ozone, may be introduced into the conditioning apparatus.

It is thus apparent that I have devised a conditioner which is inexpensive to construct and maintain, and one which is simple to operate. Where laundry goods are continuously passing from an extractor operated in a uniform manner, little attention need be given to the conditioner. The temperature and moisture content of the clothes discharged from. my device may be maintained sufliciently uniform by occasional slight adjustments of the apparatus described.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of conditioning laundry goods between extracting and ironing, comprising tumbling the goods to shake out the wrinkles therein, and simultaneously circulating and recirculating air through the tumbled clothes, while retaining all of the moisture from the clothes in the circulating air and adding heat to the air.

2. The method of conditioning laundry goods between extracting and ironing, comprising tumbling the goods to shake out the wrinkles therein, simultaneously circulating the same air through the goods, and adding moisture to the circulating air as desired.

3. The method of conditioning fabric articles between extracting and ironing, comprising tumbling the articles to shake out wrinkles, and simultaneously circulating the same air over and through said articles, whereby to retain substantially all of the moisture in said articles left therein by the extractor and to equalize the 

